Southeast Minnesota city delays, then certifies election results after tension and distrust

ORONOCO – Residents here have watched over the past two years as city leaders fought amongst themselves numerous times, from firing a former city administrator to a lawsuit over a citizen’s First Amendment rights.

That was supposed to change after this month’s elections.

The Oronoco City Council temporarily delayed certifying its election results this week after members on Wednesday disagreed over when Daniel Spring, who won a special election on Election Day, could start serving on the council.

Though the council certified the results Friday, the incident marks the latest squabble among city leaders and concerned residents in this community of about 1,800 people just a few minutes north of Rochester.

Spring replaces Erv De Vlaeminck, who was appointed in February after former Council member Carl Krause resigned. Spring was supposed to start next week, but several council members Wednesday disputed that date, arguing De Vlaeminck should have until the end of the year like other council members under guidance from the League of Minnesota Cities. Council member Jim Phillips adamantly refused to certify the election results until De Vlaemink was allowed to serve until January.

City Administrator Jason Baker and Mayor Ryland Eichhorst disagreed, citing rulings from the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office saying a candidate who won their seat through a special election should serve as soon as the election is certified.

“It doesn’t matter that (the election was) in November with this one,” Baker said. “They would take over right after the election was done, the results were declared.”

Council members recessed Wednesday night and met Friday morning, reaffirming the direction from state election officials to have Spring start later this month. More than a dozen people attended the council’s special meeting Friday morning, some laughing and jeering after outgoing Council member Jim Richards noted the council always intended to ratify the election results.

De Vlaemink said Friday after the meeting he doesn’t plan to contest the results, though he expressed concerns over misinformation and slander he said was on social media concerning local officials leading up to the election.

Elected officials and residents have been divided for months over how the council conducts itself. City officials have been embroiled over a series of disagreements, including:

The local elections turned ugly in recent months as Council member Jim Phillips ran against Eichhorst. The council voted 4-1, with Eichhorst dissenting, to skip public comments at the last council meeting before the Nov. 5 elections to avoid negative comments.

Eichhorst won reelection earlier this month with 57% of the vote. Paul Pendergrass, who replaced Bergner last year, also won reelection as did newcomer Marie Reisdorfer.

Spring beat out De Vlaeminck and outgoing council member Jim Richards in the special election to finish out Krause’s term through 2026. Eichhorst said Friday after the meeting city officials held the special election this month to cut down on election costs and work.

Eichhorst said he’s hopeful city business will be more positive with the new council. He’d like to see fewer surprises and gotcha questions from members at meetings, and he’s hoping elected officials will ask more questions of city staff as they prepare for city business.

“There are always hills and valleys with a council, and we’re trying to get back on top of the hill,” he said.

Oronoco officials plan to update city zoning codes in 2025 in anticipation of several housing projects on the horizon. The city earlier this year took a brand-new wastewater treatment plant online, the first in Oronoco’s history.